Restrictions on Access

Special restrictions apply: Collection stored off-site. Researchers must contact the Rose Library in advance for access to this collection.

Researchers must contact the Rose Library in advance for access to unprocessed born digital materials in this collection. Collection restrictions, copyright limitations, or technical complications may hinder the Rose Library's ability to provide access to unprocessed born digital materials.

All items marked as restricted are restricted pending conservation treatment.Researchers must contact the Rose Library at least two weeks in advance to request access to any items listed as restricted. Technical complications may hinder the Rose Library's ability to provide access to this material.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Special restrictions apply: The use of personal cameras is prohibited for prints and slides of graffiti.

Biographical Note

Jack Stewart (1926-2005) was an American artist and photographer born in Atlanta, Georgia. He began private art lessons at the age of seven and took classes at the High Museum of Art (Atlanta) starting at the age of nine. At the age of 14, he was an apprentice to sculptor and painter Steffen Thomas. He graduated from Atlanta Boys High in 1944. During World War II he served under the former Third United States Army under General George as a combat infantryman and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts at Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut) in 1951, where he studied with Josef Albers and Willem de Kooning. From 1951-1953, he studied architecture at Columbia University (New York, New York).

Stewart moved to New York City in 1949 and had his first solo exhibit in 1950 at the George Binet Gallery (New York, New York). During the 1950s he showed with Charles Egan, Joseph Grippi, and Richard Waddell. During this time, he also founded the Stewart-Marean Gallery and the Stewart Studio, which was established for the design and execution of his commissioned mosaic furnishings and murals. Stewart also began receiving mural commissions at this time.

Later, Stewart developed an interest in New York City’s graffiti culture, which he pursued through graduate study at New York University (New York) where he earned a Master's of Art in 1975 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in 1989. Stewart photographed the New York City subway graffiti movement that began in the early 1970s. His definitive work on the subject is Graffiti Kings: New York City Mass Transit Art of the 1970s (published posthumously in 2009). This publication stemmed from his Ph.D. thesis, Mass Transit Art Subway Graffiti.

Stewart taught for nearly thirty years in the fields of art and architecture at several places of higher education in New York City. In 1976, he was appointed Vice President and Provost of the Rhode Island School of Design (Providence).

Stewart was active in several professional organizations, including serving as Secretary (1986-1987) and President (1987-1989) of New York Artists Equity Association; President of the National Society of Mural Painters (1996-200); member of the advisory board of the Steffen Thomas Museum and Archives in Atlanta, Georgia (1997-2000s); and President of the Fine Arts Federation of New York (2003-2004).

Jack Stewart and Margot Schwarzhaupt were married in 1947, and they had one son, Brandon. Both Schwarzhaupt and son Brandon are deceased. Stewart married painter and art administrator Regina Serniak Stewart in 1976. Jack Stewart died in New York City in 2005.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of the papers of Jack Stewart from 1926-2015 and primarily contains photographs and slides of graffiti, drawings, and paintings. The majority of the drawings and paintings are portraits, nudes, and landscapes. Drawings are done in pencil or charcoal and paintings with acrylics or watercolors. There are also some graffiti objects, including a rock, a mailbox, and a model subway car. Personal papers in the collection include correspondence, personal photographs, and printed material. There are also photographs and slides of artwork. There are also some graffiti objects, including a rock, a mailbox, and a model subway car. Stewart was lefthanded and often wrote backwards, which he referred to as mirror writing; this can be seen on a number of the items in the collection.

Arrangement Note

Arranged by record type.

Finding Aid Note

There are three inventories of the collection prepared by Regina Stewart and available upon request.